Description
A simple but delicious Italian weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion- diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves- rough chopped
- 1 large fennel bulb (cored, diced thinly ( or sub 2 cups chopped celery))
- 2 cups chopped carrots (½ inch thick)
- 2 cans beans- kidney (white beans, cannellini beans, or chick peas- rinsed, drained. ( 3 cups))
- 1 14 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes (or 1 ½ cups fresh diced tomato with their juices Diced, fire roasted tomatoes are a tasty option too.)
- 4 cups veggie or chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dry penne pasta- feel free to use GF (bean pasta, or whole wheat, or sub with halved baby potatoes)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ –1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- a couple handfuls chopped lacinato kale (optional)
- Serve with Crusty Bread and Gremolata (Parsley-Lemon-Garlic- Oil and optional grated pecorino.)
Instructions
- Using the sauce setting of an Instant Pot, saute onion and garlic in the oil while you chop the rest of the veggies, adding them as you go.
- Add the fennel, carrots, beans, diced tomatoes, water or stock, salt, chili pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir in the dry pasta and optional lacinato kale and set the pressure cooker to high for 10 minutes. While it’s cooking make the Gremolata.
- Once the ten minutes are up, release the pressure manually ( throw a kitchen towel over the pressure release valve to help mitigate the steam) and serve in bowls with Gremolata, crusty bread and grated pecorino if you like.
Notes
You could easily cook this on the stove top, pretty much the same way, adding the pasta after the beans and veggies have simmered 10-15 minutes. Cook until pasta is tender.
For hearty meat-eaters, feel free to add browned Italian sausage or cooked chicken breast.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired